Lesson 42 & 11th solo PPL
15 Mar 2006The first good day of weather for about two weeks and I had a lesson booked. I went up with my instructor to do a bit in the circuit because although the weather was flyable it was really just too hazy to do anything else useful. I did the preflight check as usual but I found a hairline split in the hydraulic line. It didn’t seem to have an effect on the brakes performance, so we went up after a good check to make sure the brake did work, and did two circuits and both of the landings were really smooth, just slight bump as wheels touched and a squeak from the tyres, after that my instructor asked if I wanted to do it solo so I could be signed off for crosswind landings, obviously I said yes, so we taxied back in and shut down so we could check, and make sure the split hadn’t got worse, it hadn’t so:
I started up again taxied to holding point Alpha & was then cleared to holding point Charlie where I did my pre takeoff checks, I waited for one of the navy planes to takeoff and then was cleared takeoff from runway 13.
The first circuit was very good, and so was the landing, similar to the ones I did with my instructor but the second one, I really can’t describe how smooth it was, it was a slightly high approach but dead on the right speed at 65KTS I flared at about 15-20 ft floated it down the runway then the next thing I knew I was on the ground, I didn’t even feel it or hear it, I wasn’t sure whether to actually start braking because I thought I was still in the air, until the nose wheel touched and I could see that I was on the ground, this was ‘the’ best landing I’ve ever done!